


bubble

by blackbirddan



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: 2009 Era (Phandom), Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, M/M, Sharing a Room
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:47:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23086492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackbirddan/pseuds/blackbirddan
Summary: Happy birthday, Cal! The inspiration for this might be obvious, but aside from the setting, it diverges completely. ;) I hope you’ve had a wonderful day, and I can’t wait until we get to hang out again!!(temporary roommates au, alternative meeting, 2009!phan)all youtubers in this except Dan and Phil are fictional
Relationships: Dan Howell/Phil Lester
Comments: 13
Kudos: 74





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**Author's Note:**

  * For [calvinahobbes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/calvinahobbes/gifts).



Phil watched the greenery zooming past the train window, his mind wandering. So far, his day had been uneventful - he hadn’t left the house late like he so often did, his trains had been on time; he’d even had enough time at the station for coffee and a muffin.

He cradled a second, smaller coffee now - he’d been up early and he knew he’d need the extra caffeine as he was meeting so many new people later. His parents had laughed with what he’d hoped was amused fondness rather than mockery when he’d tentatively asked if he could borrow some money for a hotel room in London. He’d kicked himself mentally when he’d realised that conversation had neatly opened the door for the “when are you getting a job?” one.

Phil took a sip of his coffee. He was well aware that the time to decide whether to take up one of the several job offers he’d had, or continue with YouTube, was snapping at his heels. He knew what he wanted in his heart, but so far YouTube wasn’t exactly going to pay the bills, even though he loved it…

Which was why he was on his way to a stranger’s house in London. Seeing everyone talking so excitedly about the YouTubers-only networking event this weekend had made him desperate to go, and after he hadn’t been able to borrow money for a hotel, he’d started asking around friends. Finally, his friend Ivan, a fellow YouTuber, said he could join him and a few others at his sister’s house for the weekend if he wanted. No charge, just a few quid for food, and he was sorted.

Phil had wanted his own space, but he liked Ivan from watching his videos and the few comments they’d exchanged online, and he knew it’d be good to make proper friends with more YouTubers. Since returning from university, with his friend group disbanded and him stuck back in his tiny home town, he’d been feeling the loneliness keenly.

Once in London, it wasn’t far on the tube to Melissa’s place. Even though he had the address written down, as well as saved in a text from Ivan, he stood anxiously on the doorstep as he waited for him to answer the door, in case he somehow had the wrong house.

“Phil!” said Ivan, as he swung open the door. “You made it. Come in!”

“Thanks,” said Phil, shaking his offered hand.

“Come on through,” said Ivan. “Mel and her roommates are away for the weekend on a hen do, so we have the place to ourselves. Mark, Jon and Katie are here already, but Ste’s not here yet, he was working earlier.”

 _Who are all these people?_ thought Phil.

“Ste?” he said, deciding to choose the last name Ivan had said, and thus the only one he could remember.

“My flatmate,” said Ivan. “He’s been in a couple of my videos.”

“Oh. Right.”

They walked into the living room, and the two occupants of the couch, who were sitting very close together, stood up to greet them.

“Guys, this is Phil,” said Ivan jovially. “Phil, this is Jon and Katie. Jon has a YouTube channel doing music.”

“I’m on it too, sometimes!” said Katie, brightly. “But I’m not as good as him.” She beamed up at Jon, who blushed. 

“And this is Mark,” said Ivan, indicating a man with round glasses curled into an armchair, who smiled tightly at Phil, but didn’t speak.

“Let me give you the tour,” said Ivan. “It’s a pretty nice place.”

Ivan wasn’t wrong, thought Phil, as he followed him from room to room. The house was modern and minimalist, with a view of the city skyline from huge, floor-to-ceiling windows. There were three double bedrooms upstairs, one of which had already been claimed by Jon and Katie, and a twin which Ivan and his flatmate would share. 

“I thought we could put you in here,” said Ivan, showing Phil into one of the doubles. “If you hadn’t come, Ste and I were just gonna take a room each.”

“Oh, if you still want to, I can - ”

“Nah, don’t worry about it,” said Ivan, waving a hand dismissively. “It’s no bother. At least it isn’t all doubles, that’d be awkward, eh?”

Phil nodded politely, even as he wondered why Ivan would find it so awkward to share a bed for two nights with someone he already shared a flat with.

“Anyway, I’ll give you some time to settle in and all that,” said Ivan. “Come on down when you’re ready - Ste should be here in a bit, and then we’re gonna grab dinner somewhere.”

He left, and Phil dropped his rucksack onto the bed before stretching out alongside it, his back popping from the long journey. He stared at the ceiling, listening to the loud laughter drifting up from the living room. 

They seemed like a nice enough bunch, though he didn’t expect he’d be leaving with a new best friend. Still, he was grateful to have a group to enjoy the event with, and not have to show up on his own. Perhaps it had worked out for the best that he couldn’t get a hotel room after all.

He dug a few things out of his backpack, and decided to shower before they headed out for the evening. Once he was done, hair freshly straightened, he headed back to the living room.

There was a new person, skinny and short with straw-coloured hair, chatting animatedly with the others when Phil walked in. The newcomer turned, and grinned, and Phil realised he recognised him from his vlogs.

“Phil, this is Ste,” said Ivan. 

“Oh, wow!” said Ste, his grin widening. “You’re AmazingPhil.”

“Er, yep,” said Phil.

“Love your stuff,” said Ste, still grinning.

“Thanks,” said Phil, smiling back. “I like your vlogs, too.”

“Wow, thanks!” said Ste. “You actually watch them?”

“Of course!” said Phil. 

He wasn’t sure how long it had been since he’d actually watched a new one - probably when he was still in uni - and he made a mental note to catch up soon.

“Right, so, now that this loser’s finally made it,” said Ivan, elbowing Ste lightly in the head, “we ready to go and eat?”

“Oi,” said Ste, shoving him back. “Some of us have to work for a living, you know.” Phil envied their easy, familiar friendship, and found himself missing the constant presence of his old uni roommates.

“Give me, like, five minutes,” said Katie. “Just gotta freshen up.” She vanished into the bathroom, and the others settled onto the sofas.

“Typical girl,” said Ste. Phil worked hard on not visibly rolling his eyes.

“Excuse me, did you not spend at least twenty minutes doing your hair this morning?” said Ivan.

“It’s really humid at the moment!”

“It’s February, you twerp. Humid. Shut up.”

“It is!”

Ivan opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by his phone ringing. He glanced at it for a moment, his eyebrows raising slightly, before he answered.

“Hey, mate!” he said, taking the call. Phil heard a man’s voice on the other end, but couldn’t hear what he was saying.

“I am, mate, yeah,” said Ivan, after a pause. He was silent for quite a while as the man continued to speak.

“Oh, um - well, I do have a place, actually,” he said. “But I don’t know if we have space. Let me ask the others, hang on.” He lowered the phone, and muted the call.

“It’s a mate of mine,” he said. 

_You don’t say_ , thought Phil.

“He’s decided he wants to come down to the event, and he’s looking for somewhere to crash tonight. What d’you think?”

“I don’t mind,” said Ste instantly, shrugging.

“Is he a YouTuber?” said Phil, wondering if it were someone he might know.

“Kind of,” said Ivan. “I’ll explain after. But we don’t have a sofa bed, so he’d be in with you or Mark.”

Phil glanced at the couches in the living room - both entirely too small for someone of his height. He wondered how tall Ivan’s new friend was.

“I guess I don’t mind, if you don’t,” he said. He’d only been able to come because of Ivan’s generosity, and it sounded like this guy was in the same boat.

“Jon? Katie?” said Ivan, as Katie re-entered the room.

“What?” said Katie.

“His mate wants to crash here tonight so he can go to the event tomorrow,” supplied Jon.

“Oh! Yeah, we don’t mind,” said Katie with a smile. 

_Why would you?_ thought Phil. _He’s not gonna be crashing in your room._

Ivan unmuted the call.

“You still there, mate? I’ve asked the lads - and the lady - and everyone’s fine with it.” He paused again.

“Alright, I’ll text you the address. See you soon, mate!”

He hung up, and while he texted the address to his friend, Phil glanced over at Mark. So far, he’d been almost entirely silent, only offering a small shrug of acceptance at Ivan’s question about his friend staying.

“Okay,” said Ivan, dropping his phone onto the coffee table. “Dan said he’ll be about twenty, so we should probably wait for him until we go for dinner.”

“Twenty minutes?” said Jon. “We’re _starving_.”

“Well, have some crisps or something,” said Ivan. “It isn’t even that late, you wimps.”

“We normally eat at five thirty, and it’s half six!”

“Five thirty? That’s practically lunchtime.”

Jon and Katie started rattling around the kitchen, looking for snacks, while Ste unpacked his bag. 

“So who’s your friend?” said Phil. “The one who’s coming.”

“Oh, yeah,” said Ivan. “We got chatting online a while back. He’s really into YouTube. He’s been trying to make videos for ages, and last week he finally posted one, ready for the event. But then the next day he deleted it, and said he wasn’t coming.” Ivan shrugged. “I dunno why he changed his mind again.”

“Will it be okay for a non-YouTuber to attend?”

“I reckon so,” said Ivan. “I’m sure he’ll get back to it eventually, anyway. Maybe it’ll be good for him. But I mean, I don’t actually know him that well.” He glanced around the room.

“Hope he’s not gonna trash the place or anything,” he said thoughtfully. 

“Why do you say that?” asked Phil. “Is he a massive party animal, or something?”

“I don’t think so,” said Ivan. “I dunno, I just had a couple of friends who said he was a bit … I dunno.”

Before he could expand on this puzzling statement, Jon and Katie arrived back in the lounge. They’d filled several small bowls with crisps, and arranged them neatly on the coffee table. Phil took a handful, to tide him over during the twenty minutes it’d take for Ivan’s friend to arrive. He managed to start a slightly awkward conversation with the reticent Mark, and found out he made gaming videos, and wouldn’t be joining them for dinner as he’d been invited to a LAN party.

Forty-five minutes later, however, there was no sign of Dan. The crisp bowls were long since empty, and even Ste had started looking irritated. 

“Text him again,” said Katie. “Is he lost, or something?”

“I _have_ texted him again,” said Ivan. “Apparently there’s some problem with the tube.”

“Uggggh,” said Katie. “Can’t we just go and eat, and he can meet us there?”

Phil, who hadn’t eaten much since his muffin that morning, was about to agree with her when the sound of the doorbell made them all jump.

“Finally!” said Ivan, hopping up to answer it. Moments later he returned, his friend following him. 

The guy was very tall, Phil noticed, probably as tall as he was, with the same sort of straightened, long hairstyle he had. He had a backpack across his shoulders, and was nervously twisting something made of fluffy fabric in his hands. 

“Everyone, this is Dan,” said Ivan.

“Hi,” said Dan quietly, his big, dark eyes darting around the group. “Sorry I was so late. There was a signal failure, or something.” His voice was softer than Phil had been expecting.

“Not to worry, we didn’t mind!” said Katie, slightly too brightly.

“We were about to head out for dinner,” said Ivan. “Let’s just decide where you’re gonna be sleeping, so you can dump your stuff. Looks like you’ll need to share with either Phil or Mark.”

At hearing their names, Dan glanced around the group again until his gaze settled on Phil, and his mouth formed an O of surprise. Had he not been expecting to share, Phil wondered?

Phil glanced over at Mark. He could already tell by the look on Mark’s face that he wasn’t going to offer. Phil understood being an introvert, but Mark seemed to be giving off waves of discomfort at the very idea of sharing his space. 

For a moment, Phil was tempted to protest, to point out how much taller he was than Mark - and so was Dan - but glancing back at Dan still hovering awkwardly in the doorway, his teeth worrying at his full bottom lip, he felt for him. He didn’t want to make him feel like he was inconveniencing them. 

“I don’t mind,” he said eventually, throwing Dan a supportive smile. Dan’s face lit up in return. Phil just hoped it wouldn’t end up being too awkward, like when he shared a bed at a uni friend’s place and the guy built a wall of pillows between them.

“Thanks,” said Dan gratefully. Phil couldn’t help but notice his smile was lovely.

“I’ll show you the room,” said Ivan. “Then we’d better go, before Katie eats the coffee table.”

Dan and Ivan headed up the stairs to the bedroom, while everyone else started putting on coats and scarves. They returned moments later, and the group finally left for dinner.

Outside, Dan shook out the furry fabric he was still holding - it was a fluffy hat, and he tugged it onto his head as they started down the street. On anyone else Phil might have thought it looked a bit ridiculous in reasonably mild London, but somehow it looked endearing on Dan. 

Mark left them at the tube station to head off to his party, and the others piled onto a train.

“Oh, I just got a message from some of the others who are gonna be there tomorrow,” said Ivan, frowning at his phone. “They’re going for Italian, and want to know if we wanna join?”

“Sounds good,” said Phil. The others nodded, and Ivan texted back.

It was another twenty minutes before they got off the tube, and as they walked to the restaurant Phil glanced sideways at Dan, who had fallen into step beside him. The flatmates Ivan and Ste were noisily chatting at the front of their group, and Jon and Katie were walking behind them, hand-in-hand. Phil was grateful he had someone to walk with, too. 

“I like your hat,” said Phil. Dan whipped around at his comment, like he was surprised Phil was talking to him.

“Oh, thanks,” he said. “I know it’s a bit stupid, but it’s just so soft. I had to get it.”

“It’s not stupid,” said Phil.

“No?”

“Nah. Stupid would be, like, one of those Sherlock Holmes hats.”

“Yeah,” said Dan. “True.”

They lapsed into silence again. 

They heard the group they were meeting before they saw them. Loud voices and raucous laughter echoed around the street and Phil’s heart sank a little as they rounded the corner and saw a big, animated group waiting outside a small restaurant. 

“OI OI!” yelled Ivan as they approached the group. Several people cheered at the sound of his voice, and headed over to hug him and the others. As they got closer, Phil recognised a few of them, and they quickly recognised him, too - before he knew it, a squealing girl had clamped her arms around him, followed by her friend. 

Phil glanced back at Dan as the group got even louder and louder in volume. He was staring at the group of YouTubers with wide eyes, and Phil thought back to Ivan’s comment about how much Dan loved YouTube. Despite that, he looked for all the world like he was about to turn and sprint off down the street. 

Just as Phil was about to introduce him to some people he knew, their table was ready, and they clattered through the restaurant to their big table at the back. Phil shot an apologetic smile at a few diners as they passed.

He’d been separated from Ivan and company as they made their way in, and ended up sitting at the far end of the table from them, next to a few YouTubers he didn’t know. Dan sank into the chair opposite him.

“Do you know everyone?” he whispered, as they all accepted menus. 

“No,” said Phil. “A few people. But the rest I - oh.”

A pile of name labels appeared in front of him. 

“Take one and pass it on, Phil,” called Ivan from further down the table. “Here’s a pen.”

He threw a Sharpie, which Phil failed to catch, clattering onto his side plate. He wrote _Phil ^_^_ neatly on his sticker, affixed it, then peered at the people nearest to him to discover he was sitting next to _Sophia_ , _Rob_ and someone whose name was apparently _Minxxx_. Across from him, Dan was writing his name, his tongue poking out in concentration.

 _Cute_ , Phil thought.

He examined his menu, half-listening to Rob and Minxxx’s animated discussion next to him. The waiter appeared to order their drinks. 

“Anyone having wine?” Ivan called. “Want to share a bottle?”

“I will,” called Dan, the loudest he’d been all evening.

“Aww,” said Ivan loudly. “Are you even old enough to drink, Dan?”

A chorus of _aww_ s echoed around the table, and Dan went pink.

“Yeah,” he said, “‘Course.”

“Better make sure you have your ID ready, then,” said Ivan. 

Moments later a waiter was pouring wine into Dan’s glass, and delivering Phil’s espresso martini. 

“Oooh,” said Dan, staring at it. “That looks amazing.”

“Wanna try it?” said Phil.

“What, really?”

“‘Course. Go ahead, before I press my entire face into it.”

Dan took a sip from the delicate glass. He looked confused for a moment, then his eyebrows rose.

“That’s good,” he said. “Bit sweet. But the taste is nice.”

“I like sweet things,” said Phil. “I’d just have three desserts instead of a starter and main course if I could.”

“You probably could,” said Dan, taking his first sip of wine.

“But then I wouldn’t get to have pizza, which I also love.”

“Pizza and three desserts?”

“I’d probably die. But I like how you think.”

Dan smiled, and took another sip of his wine. His eyes shone in the dim light of the restaurant, the shadows highlighting the dimple that popped in his cheek when he smiled. 

Phil took another, bigger sip of his cocktail.

By the time the starters arrived, Phil was already feeling the effects of the drink. After being so hungry for so long, the garlic bread was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted.

“Why is garlic bread so good?” said Dan. 

“Right?” said Phil. “It’s like you read my mind.”

“Maybe I did,” said Dan.

“Oh, Ivan didn’t tell me _that_ about you.”

“What _did_ he tell you about me?”

“Not much,” said Phil. “Just that you liked YouTube, and were into making videos.”

“Oh,” said Dan, as the waiter refilled his glass. “Yeah, kind of.”

“He said you’d already posted a video?”

Dan snorted into his wine glass.

“Unfortunately, yeah,” he said, taking another sip. “But luckily I had the sense to private it before I came here.”

“How come?”

“It was shit.”

“Everyone’s first videos are shit, though,” said Phil. “It’s like a rite of passage. You should have seen mine.”

“I have,” said Dan. 

“Oh,” said Phil, slightly taken aback. “Well, then, you know it was literally the boringest thing in existence.”

“Boring is one thing. Stupid and lame and filled with bad jokes is another.”

Phil wished he hadn’t brought it up. Dan’s expression had become morose, and Phil suddenly wanted to see his bright smile again.

“So, what brought you to the gathering?” he said. Dan shrugged.

“It was sort of a last-minute decision, really,” he said off-handedly. He didn’t elaborate.

“What do you do?” said Phil, glancing around for the waiter. His cocktail glass was depressingly empty.

“I don’t really do anything at the moment,” said Dan. “I’m on a gap year.”

“Oh,” said Phil. “So, er - how old _are_ you?”

“Eighteen.”

“Cool,” said Phil. Dan’s expression relaxed slightly. 

By the time Phil was done with his second cocktail, their pizzas were finished and Dan was down - well, he hadn’t been keeping track of how many glasses he’d had, but it was a few. And Phil was discovering that Dan, after his initial awkwardness, was loud, opinionated, and _funny_. Once they’d started talking properly, Phil had been amazed at how many of their interests overlapped, and how similar their thoughts could be. They’d earned a few sharp glances from Rob and Minxxx at the rising volume of Dan’s laughter. Phil loved it, his own face aching from smiling so much.

“So I’m just _saying_ ,” said Dan, “that you’re _wrong._ That’s all.”

“I am not!” said Phil. “When we get back, tonight, I’m gonna pull the video up. He’s definitely naked!”

“Oh, whatever,” said Dan. “Maybe you’re just seeing what you want to see.”

“Maybe I am,” giggled Phil. Dan blinked, and regarded Phil silently for a moment.

“Can I tell you something?” he said, a moment later, suddenly serious.

“Yeah,” said Phil. “‘Course.”

“I ... decided to come to the gathering because I saw your tweet about going,” said Dan, very quickly. “And I’d hoped I could maybe say hello at the event tomorrow. But, like, I had no idea you’d be staying in the same house - that’s just - it’s crazy.” He gesticulated with his hands, as if to further demonstrate just how crazy it was.

A warm feeling was spreading through Phil’s chest.

“You came to see me?”

“Well, yeah,” said Dan, fiddling with the curling edge of his dessert menu. “I’ve been watching you for years. Your videos, I mean, not like, outside your house with binoculars.”

Phil laughed.

“And I left some comments on some of them, and stuff … I really like them. They’re brilliant.”

“Oh,” said Phil, touched. “Thank you.” He suddenly wanted to run home, dig out his laptop and scour his comments to find Dan’s.

“That’s why I wanted to make videos myself,” said Dan. “But, so far, they’ve been a shit show.”

“I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think,” said Phil. 

“Are you getting dessert?” said Dan, changing the subject abruptly.

Phil did get a dessert, an obscenely large caramel sundae, and let Dan have a bite before he dug in. Soon enough someone appeared at their shoulder to try and figure out their portions of the bill, and it was time to leave. Phil felt slightly guilty as he looked around the large group; after a polite greeting to Minxxx and Rob, he hadn’t really spoken to anyone except Dan. 

And he’d had the time of his life. 

The walk back to the tube was a lot more fun than the earlier one had been. Dan was chatty and full of bubbling laughter, walking close to Phil’s side and peppering him with a never-ending stream of chatter, which had Phil barely able to walk, he was laughing so hard. After their drinks, he almost toppled on the tube as the train wobbled and juddered, and Dan gripped his arm to steady him. 

Even Mark was in a good mood once they met him back at the house, having won prize money at his party. They gathered on the sofas and chatted about their evenings, YouTube, and anything else that popped into their minds.

“I’d better shower,” said Dan eventually. “I’ve been running around all day, and since we’re sharing -”

“No worries,” said Phil. “Just in case you think I’m being gross, I had one just before we left for dinner.”

“Cool,” said Dan. “Just - don’t laugh at my hair afterwards.”

“What? Why would I do that?”

“You’ll see.”

Phil was stretched out on the bed scrolling on his laptop when Dan reappeared in worn-looking pyjamas, his hair damp and wildly curly. Phil was delighted.

“I told you not to laugh,” said Dan sulkily.

“No, I like it!”

“Shut up. No you don’t.”

“I do! It’s nice.”

“No, it looks stupid. No one looks cool with hobbit hair.”

“Aww, hobbit hair.”

“Stop,” said Dan, though he was smiling. 

Phil put his laptop away and watched Dan potter around the room, charging his phone, putting things into his bag, before he finally shut off the light and slid into the bed. He was every bit as tall and broad as Phil, and despite how big the bed was, there wasn’t a great deal of space between them.

"So what was your video actually about?" said Phil.

"Oh, it was - like, I thought It would be good to do a sort of intro. So I did that. But it was the stupidest intro ever." 

"I bet it wasn't. Can I see? I have my laptop." 

"No! No way. I'll - I'm trying to come up with something new. Something better." 

"Is YouTube something you'd like to do, like, in a big way, then?" 

"Maybe," said Dan. "I don't know how much time I'll have for it once I start uni, but if I slack off as much as I did at school, I should have plenty of time. But I don't know." 

"I kind of know what you mean," said Phil ruefully. "I might have to drop YouTube soon, myself." 

"What?" said Dan, sounding scandalised. "You can't!" 

"I might not have a choice,” said Phil, looking up at the ceiling, shapes becoming visible in the darkness as his eyes adjusted. "I'm gonna have to get a job, at some point. I can probably still make the occasional video, but I'm not gonna have a lot of time. Plus, I might not want to do it as much if I'm editing, like, for a living." 

"But - " Dan sounded troubled. "But you're one of the best people on there. Your stuff’s so original and unique and funny. It wouldn't be the same without you." 

"Thanks," said Phil. 

"I mean it," said Dan insistently. "And you're always getting new subscribers, as you should be - you could, like, do it for a job, if you wanted, I bet." 

"I don't know about that," said Phil, though he couldn't help but smile. "I mean - I'd like to give it a try, but I don't think my parents would be very keen on the idea." 

"Well, it's not up to them, is it?" 

"No, but if I can't pay my bills they're the ones who'd have to bail me out," said Phil. "And without money I can't get my own place." 

"Are you getting a flat?" 

“Hopefully,” said Phil. "I'd like to." He yawned.

“Sorry,” said Dan. “I’m keeping you awake.”

“No, you’re not,” said Phil. “I was the one who started talking.”

“This has been the _best_ day,” said Dan emphatically. “I genuinely can’t believe I’m here. With _you_.”

“It’s been brilliant,” agreed Phil, the buzz of his cocktails still in his system. He felt warm and happy, and grateful that Dan had unexpectedly barrelled into his life. Had it really only been a few hours?

"Please carry on with YouTube,” said Dan. "You're so brilliant at it." 

"I hope I can. And you should too.”

Dan murmured a non-committal _mmm_ in response, and went quiet. 

“‘Night, Phil,” he said eventually, and snuggled into his pillow.

Phil stared at the ceiling for a while longer, listening to Dan’s quiet breaths beside him. It had been a weird, full and very long day, and Phi's introvert meter was waggling dangerously into the red. Despite that, though, he didn't begrudge Dan's presence at all. 

It took him a long time to fall asleep.

Phil awoke the next morning, squinting at the light that suddenly hit his face. He sat up on one elbow, watching Dan, who was peeking through the curtains.

"Sorry," said Dan, tugging the curtain back into place. "I was checking the weather." 

"No worries," said Phil, sitting up. "How is it?" 

"Not raining," said Dan. "I might be able to avoid total hair destruction." 

Phil slid out of bed, and headed over to the window to stand beside him. Outside, the sky was steely grey. He glanced sideways, looking at the honey colour of Dan’s eyes in the morning light. So different than they'd looked at the dinner table the night before. Dan met his gaze, and Phil's stomach twisted, not entirely unpleasantly. 

"I'm gonna shower," Phil said abruptly. 

When he returned, Dan was straightening his hair. They sat in companionable silence, the only sound the hiss of Phil's own straighteners on his damp hair. 

After a quick bowl of cereal, the group headed over to the YouTube event. The morning passed quickly for Phil in a whirlwind of greetings, hugs, selfies and excited chatter - it felt like a continuation of the talk he'd started with Dan the night before, a vindication of his dream to carry on seriously with YouTube. So many people, other creators, had come up to him to tell him how much they loved his videos. Dan had disappeared off at some point while Phil was chatting with a group of YouTubers, presumably to meet friends. 

In the afternoon, the call of caffeine could no longer be ignored, so Phil went in search of coffee. He spotted Dan sitting alone at a table, and headed over. 

"There you are!" he said. "Had a fun day?"

Dan shrugged. 

"I guess," he said. "I saw quite a few people whose videos I watch." 

"Oh, good! Did you say hi?" 

"Yeah," said Dan, his mouth twisting. "It was kind of awkward. They were a bit like - er, who are you? Why are you talking to me?" 

"I'm sure they liked hearing that you enjoy their stuff," said Phil. "Everyone likes a bit of flattery. And it's good that they'll already know who you are when you start posting videos." 

"I guess." 

He looked downcast, and Phil glanced down at Dan’s fingers, as he shredded his empty cup. 

"I'm gonna get a coffee," he said. "D'you want anything else?" 

"No, thanks," said Dan. 

Phil returned minutes later with a large coffee and two cookies. He pushed one of them towards Dan and took a big sip of coffee. _Heaven._

"Oh - thanks,” said Dan, unwrapping the cookie. He glanced up at him. 

"Phil - it's okay, you don't have to sit with me." 

“Hmm?" said Phil, biting into his own cookie. 

"I know I probably look a bit pathetic sitting here by myself, but it's okay. You can go back to the others." 

"Oh," said Phil, slightly taken aback. He'd assumed Dan wouldn't mind his company. "Sorry, d'you want me to go? I just thought - ”

"No, it's not that," said Dan. "I don't - I mean, I just don't want you to feel like you have to stay. If you don't want to." 

"I do want to," said Phil. 

"Oh." It was Dan's turn to look surprised. "Cool." 

They ate their cookies, and fell into easy conversation about their day. 

"D'you have anything else to do today?" said Dan, brushing cookie crumbs off his jeans.

"Nah," said Phil. "There's another meetup, but I think I'm kind of meetuped out.'' 

"D'you have other plans, then?" 

"Kind of," said Phil. "I had an idea, actually, that I wanted to get your thoughts on." 

"Yeah?" 

"Back to the house, pyjamas, takeaway, telly?" said Phil. 

"Sounds pretty perfect to me," said Dan, sounding relieved. 

"Let's go, then," said Phil, standing. 

"What, now?" 

"Yeah?" 

"What about the others?" 

"They have plans for the evening." 

"You don't wanna join them?" 

"Nah. Think Ste said something about clubbing." 

"Eww.”

“Exactly." 

The further away they got from the convention, the calmer Phil felt. He’d had a wonderful day, which had completely lifted his spirits and strengthened his resolve to keep going with his channel, but he was looking forward to some couch time away from the crowds.

Dan’s presence certainly didn’t hurt, either. If last night had been anything to go by, he was exactly the sort of friend he had longed for, and he was looking forward to having plenty of time to just chat and hang out without being surrounded by so many people.

The house was mercifully empty when they got back. Dan ordered their dinner while Phil showered off the sticky feeling from the too-hot meeting space they’d been in all day, and settled on the couch in pyjamas, feeling rejuvenated.

“It’ll be about twenty minutes,” said Dan. “What d’you want to watch?”

They ended up putting on a game show, which they ignored entirely in favour of chatting. The pizza arrived, and they devoured it, Phil laughing at Dan’s obscene noises of delight. After dinner, they turned off the TV in favour of watching YouTube on Phil’s laptop, going through endless lists of their favourite videos. 

Phil turned to Dan once he’d exhausted his supply of favourites.

“Got any more?”

Dan looked down at the laptop, his expression thoughtful.

“I mean - ” he sighed. “You probably don’t still want to. Especially after all those good ones. But, like, if you want to - ”

“Watch yours?” said Phil excitedly.

“...Yeah.”

“Yes! Definitely,” said Phil, clapping his hands. “Put it on!”

“I might have to leave the room,” said Dan.

“Why?”

“It’s just so embarrassing,” said Dan. “Genuinely, I might die.”

“Aww, come on,” said Phil. “I bet it’s not that bad. Show me!”

Dan logged into his account and pulled up the video, before angling the laptop fully towards Phil and turning away. His face scrunched up as Phil started the video.

It was short, and very silly, and Phil found himself smiling. As the Dan on-screen started to dance, he laughed, while the real Dan looked like his face was about to turn inside out. Phil nudged his leg.

“Don’t be embarrassed,” he said. “It’s good!”

“What? Shut up, no it isn’t,” said Dan, turning back to face him again. 

“It is! It’s better than my first video, anyway. And you learned to edit it yourself?”

“Yeah, I poked around online - on forums and stuff - until I figured most of it out. I really loved the colour stuff you did in some of your older videos, like the music ones, and tried to make it look a bit like that. But more shit, obviously.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I did ask around some people who’ve done YouTube for a while for help. Some of them even lived in London, so I thought maybe they might be able to help me out in person, but, uh. Let’s just say, a few of those guys were only offering to help for a _price_.” He smiled ruefully.

“Oh,” said Phil, his stomach twisting unpleasantly. 

“Yeah,” said Dan. “They didn’t really want to be friends, though that suited me just fine. I just stuck to web searches after that.”

“I do,” said Phil.

“You do what?” said Dan, looking perplexed.

“Want to be friends.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” said Phil. “We could chat maybe, when we get home? Like, on Skype or something?”

“I’d love that,” said Dan, the big smile Phil already liked too much making another appearance. He smiled back. 

The sound of the door opening and a barrage of voices made them both turn around. Moments later, their temporary housemates appeared in the living room, and Phil realised to his surprise it was nearly midnight, and he and Dan had been chatting and watching videos for hours. It had barely felt like any time at all.

“ _I_ ” wanted to stay out,” said Ste, sounding put out. “But _these_ losers have a seven a.m. train.”

“Sorry,” said Katie apologetically. “We have a family thing tomorrow.”

“Psssh,” said Ste, picking at his portion of chips. 

“You could have stayed out!”

“I was lured away by food,” said Ste. “Oooh, pizza!” He said, noticing Dan and Phil’s pizza boxes. “Any left?”

“‘Fraid not,” said Phil. “Not much chance of that with us two.”

“Nope,” said Dan brightly beside him. He and Phil exchanged a grin.

This felt good, thought Phil; he already felt like he _knew_ Dan, even though they’d only met yesterday. He wanted to keep on talking to him, get to know him more, hear his loud, bright laugh again...

“Well, we’re going to bed,” said Katie. “We’ll probably be gone by the time you wake up, so we’ll say goodbye now.”

They stood up for awkward, backpatting hugs with her and Jon, before they headed off to their room. 

“Think I’ll go to bed too,” said Ivan. “Shattered.”

“I thought we were gonna watch a film?” said Ste.

“Nah,” said Ivan, yawning. “I need to post some of the vlog stuff I got today, and then I’m gonna crash out.”

“Oh, shit, I should probably do that too,” said Ste. “Fine, you win. Drunk editing, what could go wrong?”

“See you in the morning, lads,” said Ivan. 

“Did you want to watch any more videos?” said Phil once they were gone, pointing to his laptop.

“Sure,” said Dan. “You choose.”

Phil picked a video and hit play.

The next thing he knew, he was jerking awake as Mark switched on the light.

“Sorry,” said Mark, looking at Phil’s bleary expression. “Just getting my laptop.”

He retrieved his computer and slunk back upstairs. Phil looked over at Dan, who was adorably rubbing his eye with the back of his fist.

“Whatimesit?” he slurred.

“After two,” said Phil. “Bed?”

“Yeah. Just gonna brush my teeth.”

Phil shut off his computer, tidied away their pizza boxes and headed to the bathroom once Dan was done. He padded back to the bedroom, where Dan was already in bed. 

“I like your glasses,” said Dan, as Phil settled in beside him. “You should wear them in your videos.”

“No way,” said Phil.

“They look nice,” said Dan.

“I think your hobbit hair looks nice,” said Phil. “Will you wear _that_ in a video?”

“Noooooooooo way.”

“Well, there you go, then,” said Phil, putting his glasses on the side table and shutting off the lamp. He snuggled into his pillow. 

“Is there anything as good as getting into bed when you’re, like, really tired?” he said. 

“Well,” said Dan. “I mean, I can think of a few things that are better in bed. But yeah, it’s pretty good.”

“Oi,” said Phil, nudging Dan with his foot. “Don’t sully this moment with your filthy mind.”

“Sorry,” said Dan. “You’re right, it is nice to lie down and get all cosy.”

“Yeah,” said Phil sleepily.

“Can I tell you something?” said Dan. Phil was reminded of their dinner the night before.

“‘Course,” he said. 

“I was gonna go home tonight,” said Dan. “Originally, I mean. But I knew if I stayed I’d be sharing with you again so I asked Ivan if I could stay an extra night and he said I should ask you first and I told him I _had_ asked you and you said it was okay.” He stopped, and finally took a breath. 

“I’m sorry, I should have asked you first,” he continued. “You probably would have preferred the bed to yourself. So you could starfish out properly.”

“I can do that at home,” said Phil, smiling in the darkness at the idea that Dan had wanted to stay to spend more time with him. “I’m glad you did.”

“Aww. Thanks.”

Phil opened his eyes. Melissa’s blinds were thin enough that he could see Dan’s outline in front of him. 

It would be so easy to lean forward and kiss him, but it was way too soon for that, Phil knew. He didn’t even know if Dan liked guys, let alone him. He didn’t want to assume anything from the brief conversations they’d had, or get his hopes up at such an early stage. He felt so comfortable, so very much himself, around Dan after only knowing him for a day, and wanted to deepen that friendship before he let himself think too much about what else it could be - though he knew himself well enough to know that thoughts of wanting _more_ would flit through his mind regardless. There were questions he wanted to ask, but also didn’t, for fear of breaking this fragile bubble they found themselves in.

“Night night, Dan,” he said, and clawed at Dan’s arm where it rested between them. “Rawwwrrr.”

Dan chuckled.

“What was that? Were you being Lion? Was that like the end of your videos?”

“Er, yeah, I guess. Kind of.”

“You’re so weird,” said Dan fondly. 

Phil’s curled hand still rested against his arm, and Phil's heart skipped a beat as Dan shifted to tangle his fingers with Phil’s own.

“G’night, Phil,” said Dan. “Have sweet, lion-filled dreams.”

Phil listened to Dan’s breathing deepen as he fell asleep, Phil’s hand still in his, and marvelled at how quickly things were moving. He wished he wasn’t heading home in the morning, and realised he didn’t even know where Dan lived. At least he’d said he wanted to stay in touch - would he think Phil was too much of a loser if he wanted to chat tomorrow? 

Phil fell asleep, giving Dan’s fingers one final squeeze.

The next morning was chaos throughout the house. Jon and Katie had already left, and everyone else was stripping the beds and packing, ready to leave. The only person ready in time was Mark, his sheets in the laundry basket and suitcase neatly packed. He waved awkwardly from the doorway one final time, and was gone.

“Where are you leaving from?” said Phil to Dan as they ate their cereal in the living room. 

“Waterloo,” said Dan. Phil pulled his tube map out of his pocket and squinted at it.

“Oh! I need to change there,” he said. He didn’t, in fact, but he could; he wasn’t sure why the extra few minutes with Dan were suddenly so important, but their suitcases in a row by the front door had suddenly brought home the fact that their little bubble was about to burst.

“That’s handy,” said Dan. 

“Yeah,” said Phil, sipping the last of the milk from his bowl. “Very handy.”

They helped Ivan take out the bins, put the last of their belongings away, and Dan returned Phil’s phone charger and contact lens pot to him from where he’d left them around the house, and they were on their way.

They said their goodbyes to Ivan and Ste at the station, with another round of backslapping hugs, and once they’d gone Phil followed Dan through the barriers onto the train. They were quiet as the train rumbled towards Waterloo, Dan’s expression obscured by his fluffy hat.

“Want to grab a quick coffee before we part ways?” said Phil, as they stood on the platform at Waterloo. 

“Sure,” said Dan, sounding slightly morose.

“You okay?” said Phil, as they headed towards the main concourse.

“Oh, yeah,” said Dan. “Just - wish this weekend could be longer. It’s like, I have this great time seeing friends and meeting new people like you and before I know it, I’m back in shitty Wokingham.”

“That’s where you live?”

“Whoops. My gran’s always saying I should be careful about talking too much to strangers from the internet.”

“Well, I don’t actually know your address, so you don’t have to worry about any weirdos turning up on your doorstep.”

“...Who, you?”

“Exactly.”

They ordered their coffees and people watched for a few moments.

“My train’s leaving pretty soon,” said Dan reluctantly. “I have a few minutes still, but then I need to go.”

“Right,” said Phil. “Oh, we were gonna exchange Skype details and stuff? And numbers?” He dug a pen out of his bag, and pushed his coffee receipt towards Dan.

They hadn’t mentioned numbers, but he hoped Dan would go with it.

“Okay,” said Dan, perking up slightly. “I can just put it in your phone, if you want.”

“If you want,” said Phil. “But I still have an old man phone.”

“Okay, I’ll write it,” said Dan. “Hopefully you can read my shitty handwriting.”

He scribbled on the receipt while Phil typed his number and Skype name into Dan’s iPhone. Phil smiled down at the little _Dan :D_ on the top of the receipt, before carefully folding it into his wallet.

He followed Dan over to his platform, both dragging their heels. He was glad he’d taken this little detour now, rather than having to frantically say goodbye in the middle of a packed train carriage.

“Well, have a good trip back,” he said. “I’m glad you decided to come, Dan.”

He almost couldn’t bear to meet Dan’s sad eyes. 

“Thank you so much, Phil,” said Dan. “You’ve been so nice to me.”

“Well, you were nice to me, too,” said Phil.

“Yeah, but, like - it’s _you_. I can’t believe we’re, like, friends now after watching you all this time.”

“What are you gonna get up to once you get home?”

“Tonight, you mean?” said Dan. Phil nodded. “Er, not much. Why?”

“You should unprivate your video,” said Phil. “And then we should chat on Skype.”

Dan grinned.

“I don’t know about the video,” he said. “But I’d love to chat.”

“I’ll talk you into it,” said Phil. “I can be very persuasive.” He waggled his fingers into Dan’s face, delighting in his widening grin.

“I don’t doubt it,” said Dan, and hugged him.

Phil didn’t have half as long as he wanted to marvel at how well they fit together and how good it felt, before Dan was pulling back. 

“Well, see you,” he said. “Thanks for this weekend. Really.”

“You too,” said Phil. 

Dan turned to leave, and Phil knew in that moment he had to see him again.

“Dan!” he called, just before he reached the ticket barrier. Dan turned towards him, eyebrows raised.

“Have you ever been to Manchester?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Reblog [here](https://blackbirddan.tumblr.com/post/612160457622667264/fic-bubble) on tumblr :)


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